Official: Silverstone Gets British Grand Prix from 2010
Submitted by Kropotkin on Mon, 2009-01-12 19:21.
in MotoGP Donington, Great Britain
As Visordown reported - and as we feared - yesterday, Donington's redevelopment plans to allow the track to host a Formula 1 race have proven fatal to their MotoGP round. Today, Dorna officially announced that Silverstone will be hosting the British Grand Prix from 2010. The agreement will last for 5 years, leaving Donington out in the cold until at least 2015.
Speculation on the reason for Dorna's switch from Donington to Silverstone has centered on the emphasis which the Derbyshire track had placed on Formula 1. It is believed that this was not well received at Dorna, and with Silverstone having lost the British Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2010, the Northamptonshire track needed an international motorsports meeting to replace the huge hole left by F1.
The decision will be met with mixed feelings by motorcycle racing fans. Donington - or at least, large parts of it - is one of the greatest tracks still on the calendar, with the rolling sweep of the Craner Curves one of the finest and most difficult section of corners the riders face. The facilities, on the other hands, were often dire, with overflowing toilet facilities, little in the way of refreshments, and parking chaos.
While the facilities at Silverstone are an improvement over those at Donington - though that's not really very difficult - the track is a real disappointment. Flat, uninspiring, and with a final chicane taken almost at walking pace, it is not a great place to ride a motorcycle round, despite having produced some great racing in World Superbikes.
And so MotoGP heads to Donington for one last time this summer. It will be worthwhile braving the erratic British weather, the terrifying Donington cuisine, and the ludicrous traffic situation to see the bikes roll past the spitfire once more.
Source:
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Silverstone+to+host+MotoGP+in+UK+from...
http://www.silverstone.co.uk/
